Regional differences in interglacial climate expression: A revisit to MIS 5e

Abstract:

Reconstructions of air and surface ocean temperatures of the Eemian interglacial (MIS5e) often infer higher values than those of the Holocene, with a recently estimated global sea level 6-9m meters above the present highstand. Many a study also have reported on Eemian climate instability with respect to both variability in temperatures and sea level. These variabilities are often explained by AMOC changes and by invoking massive bi-polar ice sheet losses. In spite of recent sea-level compilation studies on such fluctuations during the last interglacial using coral evidence, the questions remain how, where, and, notably, when could a rapid ice growth have occurred during the otherwise so warm but relatively short Eemian full-interglacial period? Ocean field data now indicate a relatively cool polar North Atlantic for a substantial part of the post-deglacial (T2) interval, whereas in the subpolar region ocean temperature peaked directly after T2 together with high insolation. Thus, based on circumstantial evidence significant glacier ice must have remained at sea-level along the polar periphery for rather long. In addition with other proxy data the overall sequence of events would therefore dictate a late global sea-level highstand during MIS5e.